Mason&#39;s line stretcher



9, 1969 a. T. HARRIS MASON'S LINE STRBTCHER Filed April 18, 1968INVENTOR. GEORGE T. HARRIS ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,461,565MASONS LINE STRETCHER George T. Harris, S. Rte. 3, Box 68, Farmington,N. Mex. 87401 Filed Apr. 18, 1968, Ser. No. 722,456 Int. Cl. B4411 3/00US. CI. 33-86 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A multipurpose linestretcher for anchoring a masons line. The line stretcher includes awide body and two depending legs spaced to straddle a masonry unit or aportion thereof. An extension of the body serves as a tongue forattaching a masons line.

Background of the invention Field.'lhis invention relates to linestretchers of the type used by masons to anchor a taut line in positionto serve as a guide in the laying up of brick, block, or tile.

State of the art.--'Ihe line stretchers most commonly used by masons aredesigned to straddle the entire Width of a block or brick. Usually, thestretcher is cast in one piece and has gripping legs spaced to straddlea selected maximum width. Such a tool cannot anchor satisfactorily tomasonry units with widths much narrower than the spacing between thegripping legs of the stretcher. Thus, a given stretcher tool is usefulto anchor a masons line to only specific sizes and types of masonryunits. Line stretchers are, in fact, commonly classified as either 8-inch to 12-inch, 6-inch to 8-inch, or 4-inch to 6-inch stretchers,respectively. Adjustable line stretchers which permit adjustment of thespacing between the gripping legs to straddle 4-inch to 12-inch unitsare available but are generally unsatisfactory, particularly for usewith narrow units. The adjusting hardware of such stretchers tendsto'loosen, resulting in lost parts or loose lines. Further, on narrowunits, a substantial portion of the stretcher cantilevers from the unit,thereby making it difficult to balance the stretcher properly. None ofthe available stretchers performs satisfactorily on Z-inch units, suchas tiles, or in situations where there is insufiicient room toaccommodate a tool made to straddle the entire width of the unit. Insuch instances, less convenient anchoring systems, e.g., line pins andline trigs must be relied upon.

Other types of line stretchers have been suggested, but they have notbeen widely accepted, probably because they fail to perform assatisfactorily in use as those described hereinbefore. The devicesdisclosed by US. Patents 2,530,121 and 2,806,290, for example, aredesigned to straddle 4-inch bricks. In practice, such tools do notperform Well when positioned to straddle the outer shell of a cementblock because the legs do not tightly grip the relatively thin walls ofthe block. These devices will not anchor acceptably to a 2-inch tile.The device disclosed by US. Patent 2,523,101 has depending legs whichare spaced to closely straddle the side wall of a cement block. Thisdevice, however, offers relatively little resistance to bending understrain and tends to twist and lift from position when pulled by a tautline.

Accordingly, there has been and remains a need for a simple, one-piecestretcher which may be used to anchor a masons line to bricks, blocks,and tiles of various sizes and shapes.

Summary of the invention The present invention provides a one-piecemasons line stretcher which anchors a taut line to all common typesPatented Aug. 19, 1969 ice of bricks, blocks, and tile having centralvoids. It is also uniquely useful for laying up 2-inch tile.

The claimed line stretcher includes two gripping legs spacedappropriately to straddle and engage a 2-inch tile without slipping. Thelegs are connected by an elongate body which has a flat undersurfacethat is adapted to rest in face-to-face relationship on the uppersurface of a masonry unit, e.g., a 2-inch tile or other unit with a sidewall or comparable structural portion having a thickness of about 2inches or less. The body is constructed with width such that, whenemplaced, it bears on the upper surface of the masonry unit at pointsremote from straight lines connecting corresponding sides of thegripping legs and in the direction of pull of the masons line. Such aconstruction prevents lifting of the stretcher tool from positionwhen itis pulled by a taut line. Many shapes and constructions of the body aresuitable. For example, the body may be solid or it may be constructed asa frame; it may be rectilinear or it may be curved.

The legs depend from the flat undersurface of the body substantiallyperpendicularly, i.e., normal thereto, and have their longitudinal axessubstantially intersecting the longitudinal axis of the body, so that asingle stretcher device of the invention can function as either a righthand or a left hand tool and so that the width of the body at eitherside of such longitudinal axis serves to stabilize the device againsttipping when the line attached thereto is pulled taut.

In the preferred form illustrated the body is rectangular with one endtapered toward one of the legs which is at that end and with aline-fastening tongue reentrantly formed as a longitudinal, coplanarextension of such body at the opposite end thereof, the second legdepending from such opposite end of the body so that the tongue extendsas a cantilever lying substantially wholly within the plane of the body.

In use, a masonry unit is positioned at each end of a new course aboutto be laid up. These units are carefully positioned at the appropriateelevation to serve as guide units for the remainder of the course. Oneend of a line is looped over the tongue and around the closest leg of aline stretcher of this invention. The stretcher is then anchored to oneof the guide units. In the case of narrow units, e.g., two-inch tile,the stretcher is placed to straddle the unit. When wider units withcentral cores or voids, e.g., cement blocks, are being laid up, thestretcher is placed to straddle a side Wall. The free end of the line isthen attached to a second line stretcher of the invention such that thelength of the line between the stretchers is shorter than the length ofthe course between the guide units. By anchoring the second stretcher tothe second guide unit, the line is stretched and made taut. Thestretchers are held in place by the tension of the taut line. Thistension causes the stretchers to pivot around axes normal to the bodiesof the respective stretchers, thereby bringing the legs into grippingengagement with the walls of the masonry guide units.

Description of the drawings In the drawings, which illustrate what ispresently contemplated as the best mode of carrying out the invention:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of the line stretcher.

FIG. 2, a pictorial view showing a pair of line stretchers anchored foruse in laying up a course of SRC brick.

FIG. 3, a pictorial view of the line stretcher anchored to a 2-inchtile, and

FIG. 4, a pictorial view of the line stretcher anchored to the side wallof a cement block.

Detailed description of the illustrated embodiment The line stretcherillustrated by FIG. 1 is of one-piece construction, preferably blankedand bent to final formation from A; inch strap iron stock. As sofabricated, the stretcher comprises a rectilinear body 11 with a taperedend 11a and a tongue element 11b at the end of the body opposite thetapered end; a first leg 12 depending from the tapered end of the body;and a second leg 13 depending from the body at a position intermediatethe tongue 11b and leg 12. The legs 12 and 13 are approximately paralleland depend from approximately the center line of the body 11. Desirably,a line groove 14 is provided, as illustrated, in the edge of the leg 13-opposite the tongue 11b and adjacent the underside of the body 11 tohold a masons string (15, see FIG. 2) in proper position for use. Thestretcher may be constructed in any convenient fashion. Rather thanbeing blanked and bent as illustrated, the legs may be welded orotherwise fastened to the body.

Proper dimensioning of the line stretcher is essential for itssatisfactory performance. Of particular importance are the width of thebody 11 and the spacing of the legs 12 and 13. It has been found thatthe stretcher tends to lift on one side when it is pulled by a taut lineif it is less than about 1 /2 inches wide. Stretchers which have bodywidths of at least about 2 inches remain in place under evenextraordinary conditions of use, such as the high tension required tomaintain an unusually long line taut in the wind. The spacing of thelegs 12 and 13 should be about 2 inches for best results. Many tiles andside walls are too thick to be straddled conveniently by legs spacedless than about 1% inches. Spacings of about 1% to about 2 /2 inchesconstitute the preferred range. Spacings of greater than about 2 /2inches offer no advantage, and stretchers with legs spaced this farapart are unsatisfactory for most applications because the legs tend toslide rather than engage the walls of a masonry unit.

Other dimensions of the line stretcher are of less importance. The legsmay be of any convenient length, about A; of an inch being satisfactoryfor most purposes. The stretcher may also be of any convenient length,its overall length depending largely on the shape and dimensions of thetongue element. The illustrated form of the invention will ordinarily beabout 3 /2 to about 5 inches long, with an inch or more of its length atone end tapered so that the body width reduces down to the width of theleg 12. A square-cornered tool may be used for many applications, but anall-purpose tool will include the tapered element illustrated. Thistaper allows the stretcher to twist and engage a facing masonry unit,such as a tile, without prying on the back-up wall. Preferably, thetapered element of the body is tapered equilaterally so that a singletool may function as either a right or left hand stretcher.

The tongue 11b is conveniently reentrant adjacent the body asillustrated, to facilitate fastening of a line to the body 11 of thestretcher. Of course, the tongue may be of any other desiredconfiguration and may carry various means by which to tie the line. Forexample, the tongue may be in the form of a knob or ring, so long as itlies substantially wholly Within the plane of the body 11. Theillustrated configuration provides for simple manufacture and highlysatisfactory attachment of a line to the stretcher.

According to a preferred embodiment, the legs are pegs of relativelysmall cross section. They may be either rounded or rectilinear, but arepreferably prismatic or cylindrical and rectilinear along their lengths.In the illustrated embodiment, leg 12 is a geometrical prism ofrectangular cross-section about A; inch by about A1, inch; leg 13 is asimilar prism about A; by about /2 inch in cross sections; each leg isabout inch long. The longest cross sectional dimensions of the legs arein parallel alignment with the center line of the stretcher. The body isconsiderably wider than the legs so that it bears on the upper surfaceof a masonry unit at remote points outside the area bounded by straightlines connecting the legs, as previously indicated.

In use, the stretcher is placed over the side Wall of a brick, the widthof a tile, or the side wall of a block as illustrated by FIGS. 2, 3 and4, respectively. Referring to FIG. 2, line 15 is looped over the tongue16 and around leg 17 of a first stretcher 18. The stretcher is anchoredto a brick 19 by placing the second leg 20 of the stretcher 18 in hole21 of brick 19 such that the legs 20 and 17 straddle the wall 19a of thebrick 19. A second stretcher 22 is fastened to line 15 at a point suchthat the length of the line between stretchers 18 and 22 is shorter thanthe distance between the guide bricks 19 and 23. Stretcher 22 is thenanchored to guide brick 23 in the same fashion that stretcher 18 isanchored to guide brick 19. The masons line 15 is thus stretchedsufficiently taut to avoid sagging or side drift due to wind.

Many modifications within the legitimate scope of the invention will besuggested to those skilled in the art by the present disclosure.

I claim:

1. A masons line stretcher, comprising:

an elongate body having a fiat undersurface adapted to lie on the upperflat surface of a masonry unit in face-to-face engagement therewith;

two legs depending from said undersurface and at respective oppositeends of the body in mutually spaced, rectilinear alignment along thelongitudinal axis thereof, said legs having their longitudinal axesextending normal to and substantially intersecting the said longitudinalaxis of the body;

said body having width along its length sufiiciently greater than thecorresponding respective widths of said legs so as to bear on the uppersurface of a masonry unit at locations remote from straight linesconnecting corresponding sides of said legs, to prevent tipping when theline stretcher is emplaced and fastened to a taut line; and

a line-fastening tongue extending longitudinally from one end of saidbody and lying substantially wholly within the plane of said body.

2. A line stretcher according to claim 1, wherein the body has a fiatunderside and is at least about 1 /2 inches Wide.

3. A line stretcher according to claim 1, wherein the body is about 2inches wide.

4. A line stretcher according to claim 1, wherein the tongue element isreentrantly formed adjacent the body to receive and hold the line.

5. A line stretcher according to claim 1, wherein the body isrectangular and tapered along a portion of its length adjacent the legat the end opposite the tongue to reduce its Width to approximately thewidth of said leg.

6. A line stretcher according to claim 1, wherein the spacing of thelegs is about 2 inches and the width of the body is at least about 1 /2inches.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 995,714 6/1911 Platt 33--852,215,663 9/1940 Frisk 33-86 2,530,121 11/1950 Garwood 33-86 2,659,97311/1953 Patzel 33-86 2,806,290 9/1957 Tiefel 33-85 HARRY N. HAROIAN,Primary Examiner

